Adjustable and retractable ink supply mechanism for printing press

ABSTRACT

This ink supply mechanism includes a rotating ink supply roller defining one side of an ink receptacle. A pair of opposed end walls are adapted to run in sealing relation with the ends of the rotating roller and a transverse wall connects the two end walls. The transverse wall and two end walls define the other three sides of the ink receptacle. These three walls are part of an ink fountain means mounted for pivotal movement on a shaft, and movable by means of a hydraulic cylinder. A doctor blade is attached to the lower edge of the transverse wall and projects therefrom toward the roller, extending the full length of the roller. Adjustments, locking means, temperature control means and an ink supply are provided.

United States Patent 11 1 DAmato et a1.

[ 1 Nov. 25, 1975 Chauncey P. Foote, Jr., Katonah, both of NY,

(73] Assignee: American Bank Note Company,

New York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Oct. 30, 1973 [21] App]. No; 410,987

[52! U.S. Cl. 101/365; 101/315; 101/326.

101/331 [51] int. Cl. B41F 31/06; B41F 31/30 [58] Field of Search 101/364, 365, 366, 367,

3,067,056 12/1962 Remer 101/364 x. 3,116,688 1/1964 Ward,lr.et al. 101/365 X 3,230,106 1/1966 West 118/202 X 3,352,279 11/1967 Lockwood 118/202 X 3,788,270 1/1974 Blair 1 18/202 X 3,791,294 2/1974 Skelding et al. 101/181 X Primary ExaminerEdgar S. Burr Assistant Examiner-Paul .1. Hirsch Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cooper, Dunham, Clark, Griffin 8L Moran [57] ABSTRACT This ink supply mechanism includes a rotating ink supply roller defining one side of an ink receptacle. A pair of opposed end walls are adapted to run in sealing relation with the ends of the rotating roller and a transverse wall connects the two end walls. The transverse wall and two end walls define the other three sides of the ink receptacle. These three walls are part of an ink fountain means mounted for pivotal movement on a shaft, and movable by means of a hydraulic cylinder. A doctor blade is attached to the lower edge of the transverse wall and projects therefrom toward the roller, extending the full length of the roller. Adjustments, locking means, temperature control means and an ink supply are provided.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Ma Q U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 2 of4 U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,921,525

8 m t NN ADJUSTABLE AND RETRACTABLE INK SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESS CROSS-REFERENCES The ink supply mechanism disclosed herein is adapted for use on an intaglio press such as that disclosed in the application of Ivaldo Gazzola et al, entitled PRINTING PRESSURE CONTROL APPARA- TUS FOR INTAGLIO PRESS", Ser. No. 298,443, filed Oct. 17, I972.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The ink supply mechanism of the invention comprises an ink supply roller, being the first roller in the inking train of a printing press, and an ink fountain means cooperating with that roller to define an ink receptacle. The ink fountain means includes a pair of opposed end walls which are adapted to run in sealing relation with the ends of the roller and a transverse wall connecting the end walls. A doctor blade is fixed on the lower edge of the transverse wall and projects therefrom toward the roller. extending the full length of the roller.

The ink fountain means is fixed on a first shaft rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of the roller through a predetermined angle to move the ink fountain means from a retracted position to an operating position in which the doctor blade yieldably engages the periphery of the roller so that the roller and ink fountain means together define an ink receptacle. The spacing between the doctor blade and the roller determines the rate of flow of ink from the receptacle onto the roller and thence to the other rollers of the inking train. The ink fountain means is driven between its retracted and operating positions by a hydraulic motor.

A carriage supports the ink receptacle including the ink supply roller and the shaft carrying the ink fountain means, together with a motor for driving the ink fountain means between its operating position and its retracted position and a suitable linkage between the motor and the ink fountain means. The carriage also supports a stop which determines the retracted position of the ink fountain means, and adjustable lug means for setting the operating position of the ink fountain means.

The ink fountain means carries a second shaft parallel to the first shaft on which it is supported. The second shaft extends the full length of the roller and has formed in each of its end surfaces an eccentric recess adapted to receive a locking member mounted on the carriage and movable between a locking position in which it enters the eccentric recess a its end of the second shaft, and a retracted position in which it is withdrawn from the recess.

Positioning both of the locking members in their respective associated recesses accurately determines the operating position of the ink fountain means. This operating position is adjustable by rotating the second shaft on the ink fountain means, which is effective to change the positions of the two eccentric recesses with respect to the center of the first shaft on which the ink fountain means is rotated.

The rotation of the second shaft tends to move the eccentric recesses both radially and circumferentially with respect to the axis of rotation of the first shaft. The positions of the locking members are fixed with respect to the carriage and hence with respect to the axis of the first shaft. Consequently, the only adjustment of the cccentric recesses which affects the spacing between the doctor blade and the roller is the circumferential adjustment. Therefore. some accommodation must be provided for the change of radial position of those recesses during a rotation of the second shaft.

In a first embodiment, this accommodation is provided by having unsupported portions of the second shaft adjacent its ends reduced in diameter and tapered from a maximum diameter at their outer ends to a minimum diameter at a shoulder on the shaft. These reduced diameter portions are bendable when engaged by the locking members to compensate for the radial changes in position of the eccentric recesses with respect to the axis of the ink fountain supporting shaft.

In a second embodiment, the second shaft has fixed thereto a gear cooperating with a pinion gear journaled in the frame of the ink fountain means. The eccentricity of the recess in the second shaft is maximized and the range of angular movement of the second shaft is minimized so as to reduce the radial motion of the re cesses to a minimum.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view, with certain parts broken away and others shown in section, of an ink supply mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view, similar to FIG. 4, showing a modification.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view illustrating a sector gear in FIGS. 6 and 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The ink supply mechanism shown in the drawings includes an ink supply roller 1 having a steel peripheral surface and running in contact with an ink transfer roller 2 (FIG. 2) having a peripheral layer of rubber or other suitable plastic material. The transfer roller 2 may run in rolling contact with the plate cylinder of an intaglio press such as the one shown and described in application Ser. No. 298,443, filed Oct. I7, 1972, mentioned above.

The ink supply roller 1 forms one side of an ink receptacle which also includes an ink fountain means 3 (FIG. 2) comprising a pair of end walls 4 adapted to run in sealing relation with the ends of the roller 1, and a transverse wall 5 connecting the end walls 4. A doctor blade 6 is fixed to the lower edge of the transverse wall 5. When the ink fountaiin means 3 is in its operating position, the doctor blade 6 is closely spaced from the periphery of the ink supply roller 1 by a distance just sufficient to allow a thin film of ink to move with the roller under the doctor blade.

The present invention comprises improved means for adjusting the spacing between the doctor blade 6 and the ink supply roller I, for the purpose of controlling the rate of flow of ink from the ink fountain means 3 along the rollers l and 2 to the intaglio plate, such that the adjustment is not disturbed by a retraction of the ink fountain means and subsequent restortion to its operating position.

The ink fountain means 3 and the ink supply roller 1 together define a receptacle for a pool 7 of printers ink, as may be seen in FIG. 2.

A plate 11 is fixed on the upper surface of the transverse wall adjacent the upper edge, and projects upwardly therefrom. Another plate 12 is fixed on the transverse wall 5 intermediate between the upper and lower edges and extends upwardly therefrom at an acute angle. The plates 11 and 12 and the transverse wall 5 define between them a jacket 13 which is supplied with heat transfer fluid through suitable inlet and outlet conduits, one of which is shown at 14 in FIG. 2. The heat transfer fluid may be either a heating fluid or a cooling fluid depending upon the characteristics of the ink being used.

The transverse wall 5 is mounted on a diagonal frame member 15 by means of a plurality of screws 16 extending through slots 15a so that the position of the transverse wall 5 may be adjusted by moving the screws 16 along their respective slots 15a. The doctor blade 6 is attached to a recess in the upper side of the transverse wall 5 by means of a plurality of screws 17. The transverse wall 5, the doctor blade 6, and the plates 11 and 12 extend the full length of the roller 1. The diagonal frame member 15 is supported on a horizontal frame member 21 having a plurality of horizontal bores 21a, in each of which is fixed a sleeve 22 apertured to receive the smooth shank portion of a screw 23. The threaded end of the screw 23 extends through an internally threaded sleeve 24 fixed in the aperture 21a. The screw 23 has a tapered end portion at its inner end which abuts against a wear plate 25 on the under side of the transverse wall 14 adjacent the doctor blade 6. The outer end of the screw 23 is provided with a squared head 23a to facilitate rotation of the screw to vary the force which it applies against the wear plate 25.

The frame member 21 has attached to its ends downwardly depending projections 21b which are apertured to receive the ends of an adjustment shaft 26. A plate 27 is attached as by welding to the underside of the middle of frame member 21. A crank arm 31 is welded to the plate 21 and extends downwardly therefrom, and is pivotally connected at its lower end to a piston rod 32 operated by a hydraulic cylinder 33 whose opposite end is pivoted at 34 on a post 35 extending upwardly from a base member 36 of a carriage 71. Each of the projections 21b is cut away along its under side to define a saddle 21c for receiving a supporting shaft 37. A cap 41 is held on the upper side of the projections 21b by screws 42, so that the shaft 37 is held between the caps 41 and the projections 21b. The shaft 37 is the principal support for the ink fountain means 3 and its related parts. It serves as the pivot about which the ink fountain means moves as the crank arm 31 is turned by the hydraulic cylinder 33. The cylinder 33 moves the ink fountain means 3 between a retracted position (not shown, except that the retracted position of the crank arm 31 appears in dotted lines in FIG. 2), and an operating position, shown in FIGS. 2-4, in which the end walls 4 are in sealing engagement with the ends of the ink supply roller 1, and the doctor blade 6 yeildably engages the periphery of the roller 1. The phrase yieldably engages" as used in this specification, means that the blade 6 is deformed from its unstressed contour by its engagement with the roller 1, and that its edge is separated from the roller by a thin film of ink, whose thickness is determined by the force of the yieldable engagement, which is in turn determined by the operating position of the ink fountain means 3, as adjusted by the locking means to be described immediately below.

As the ink fountain means moves between its retracted and operating positions, the shaft 26 moves in an orbital path about the axis of shaft 37.

The shaft 26 is provided at its ends with eccentric recesses 26a, which taper from a wide diameter at their outer ends to a narrow diameter at their inner ends. A pair of locking pins 43, best seen in FIG. 3, are mounted on the ends of piston rods 44 actuated by bydraulic cylinders 45, which are mounted on frame members 46 of a carriage 71. The locking pins 43 are tapered to be receivable in the tapered eccentric recesses 26a, even though the pins and recesses may be somewhat misaligned when the cylinders 45 are actuated to move the pins into the recesses.

The shaft 26 is provided with a handle 47, by means of which it may be manually rotated. After the shaft is set in position by handle 47, it may be locked against rotation on its own axis, by means of a set screw 48 threaded into projection 21b and passing through an arcuate slot 490: in a flanged hub 49 fixed on the shaft 26. The ends of the shaft 26 have reduced diameter portions 26b, which taper from a maximum diameter at their outer ends to a minimum diameter at a shoulder 26c on the shoulder 26. After the ink fountain means has been moved to its approximate operating position by the hydraulic cylinder 33, it is locked in its final operating position by actuation of the hydraulic cylinders 45 to drive the locking pins 43 into the recesses 26a. At this time the pressure is removed from the hydraulic cyliner 33, so that the final operating position of the ink fountain means 3, and hence of the doctor blade 6, is determined by the angular positions of the recesses 26a and hence determines the position in which the ink fountain means 3 is held by the locking pins 43.

The ink fountain means 3 moves in an arcuate path about the axis of the support shaft 37. Hence the position of the doctor blade 6 with respect to the ink supply roller 1 is determined by the position along that arcuate path in which the ink fountain means is held by the locking pins 43. However, the recesses 26a, in the ends of shaft 26 move circumferentially with respect to the center of that shaft, as the shaft 26 is rotated. Since the axis of shaft 26 is spaced from the axis of shaft 37, the motion of the eccentric recesses 26a, during their adjustment, has a component which is circumferential with respect to the axis of shaft 37 and another compo nent which is radial with respect to the center of shaft 37. The circumferential component is the only component which is effective to change the position of the doctor blade 6 with respect to the ink supply roller 1 and hence to control the flow of ink. The radial distance between the axis of shaft 37 and the locking pins 43 is constant, since both the shaft 37 and pins 43 are mounted on fixed side frame members 46 of the press. The radial component of motion of the recesses 26a therefore represents an unnecessary motion, and some means must be provided to accommodate it so that it will not interfere with the proper circumferential adjustment of the recesses 26a.

In the species of FIGS. 1-5, this accommodation is provided by the tapered reduced diameter portions 2611, which can bend relative to the full diameter portion of shaft 26, and hence can allow the locking pins 43 to enter the recesses 26a and hold the ink fountain means fixed in its proper circumferential position, even though those recesses are not exactly in their proper radial positions. It should be noted that the range of movement required for the adjusting shaft 27 is short, and that the radial bending movements required of the reduced diameter portions 26b are therefore small.

The carriage 71 includes the base member 36 and the side frame members 46, as mentioned above. The base member 36 is mounted on rollers 72 which run on rails 73 fixed on the frame of the press. The side frame members of the press are shown at 74. The carriage 71 may be moved between the operating position shown in FIG. 2, where the ink supply roller 1 is in yieldable engagement with the surface of the ink transfer roller 2, and a retracted position in which those rollers are separated. The movement of the carriage 71 is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder 75 (FIG. 2) having a connecting rod 76 privotally attached to a bracket 77 extending upwardly from the base member 36 of carriage 71. A threaded shaft 81 is fixed on the carriage 71 and has adjustably mounted thereon a pair of lock nuts 82 and a lock nut 83, which are located on opposite sides of an upright member 84 fixed on the frame of the press. The cylinder 75 is mounted on upright 84. The lock nut 83, in the operating position shown in FIG. 2 abuts against the upright 84. The force of engagement between the rollers l and 2 is determined by the hydraulic force applied by the cylinder 75 and by the position ofthe lock nut 83. The lock nuts 82 determine the distance by which carriage 71 may be retracted to separate the rollers 1 and 2. When those rollers are retracted, the right-hand lock nut 82 engages the upright 84.

The carriage 71 supports the ink receptacle including the roller 1, the ink fountain means 3, the motor 33, and the linkage between the motor and the ink fountain means 3. it also supports the locking pins 43 and their operating cylinders 45.

fresh ink is supplied to the pool 7 through a circuit Pit nlnth extends through the transverse wall and trn ugh a coi 87 in the jacket 13, and thence to a (lism conduit 88, terminating beneath the surface of in; il1iin the pool 7. The jacket 13 is supplied with turning or cooling fluid t maintain the ink in the pool .it an ptimum operating temperature. This arrange- 'Zltiii wsini-s that fresh ink entering the pool 7 is tmntuht u in that operating temperature before it is me. u try. {l Hla the pool. It is preferred to have two ink supply aHWli-ils 8t: :tl or near the ends of the pool 7, as din ztrntcti in I-itt. The ink supply roller 1 is also proy jp l with an internal jacket not shown) of convenlnn'mt \IUI'INI action, to which heat transfer fluid is suplttjt in v-nc out through a conduit 91 and a passage 92 in tin: ttilltfi til tlic shaft which carries the roller 1. At ilit mtlitttsiitj end of roller 1. u discharge conduit 93 ::n"'s ltt. fluid away to an outlet pipe 94. This heat t on In than! is ct'fcctiye to maintain the surface of the E .n the optimum operating temperature for the tilILitKR Jt'N-llth i the ink being used. Suitable thermo minds are pro ided for both the heat transfer fluid circulating system of the roller 1 and the fluid circulating system for the jacket 13.

After the ink fountain means 3 is once set in a desired operating position by setting the angular position of the handle 47, the thickness of the deposited ink layer along the length of the roller 1 may be controlled by means of the adjusting screws 23. After those screws have once been set, then the ink fountain means may be retracted and restored to its operating position re pcatedly by operation of cylinder 33 without the necessity of readjustment of the screws 23.

FIGS. 6-8

These figures illustrate a somewhat different mechanism for accommodating the radial motion of the eccentric recesses. In these figures. the shaft 26 of FIGS. 1-5 is replaced by a shaft 51 which has no reduced diameter portion at its ends, but does have eccentric recesses 510 corresponding in function to the recesses 26a of FIGS. l5. The shaft 5] is journaled in extensions 52 of the frame of the ink fountain means. The extensions 52 (only one of which is shown in the drawing) correspond generally to the, projection 21b of FIGS. 1-5, but is more elongated, having a projection 52a at its right-hand end, as viewed in FIG. 6, in which is journaled a stub shaft 53 carrying a pinion gear 54. A sector gear 55 is fixed on the shaft 51 and meshes with the pinion gear 54. The stub shaft 53 and pinion gear 54 are rotatable by means of a knurled knob 56. A scale 57 is mounted on the stub shaft 53 and cooperates with an index 61 on the extension 520.

The eccentric recess 51a differs from the eccentric recess 26a of FIGS. 15 in that its eccentricity is greater, being substantially the maximum eccentricity which can be provided with given diameters of the shaft 51 and of the recess 5111. Furthermore, the angle of movement of the shaft 51 during adjustment is substantially more limited than the angle of movement of the shaft 26. As shown in FIG. 6, the shaft 51 can move only through an angle 62 of substantially 45. The pinion gear 54 and the eccentric gear 55 have an 8:l gear ratio so that the sector gear 55 is turned through 45 for one full revolution of the pinion gear 54. Thus, these gears constitute a motion reducing mechanism. During this 45 movement of the shaft 51, the recess 510 has only a very small radial movement with respect to the axis of shaft 37. Hence, by making the eccentricity 0f recess 510 large and using only a small angle of adjustment of the shaft 51 for the full range of variation of the positions of recess 51a, the radial motion of the eccentric recesses 51a with respect to the center of shaft 37 is minimized, and is accommodated entirely by the tapered locking pins 43 and the taper of the recesses 510.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of FIGS. 6-8, the knob 56 is moved through a substantial angle to produce a small change in position of the recesses 51a. The change in position of those recesses in response to a given angular movement of the knob 56 is less than the change in position of the recesses 26a in response to the same angular movement of the handle 47 of FIGS. 1 5. The position of the recesses may therefore be more precisely controlled than in the case of the recessses 2611,

A lock nut 63 is provided, for fixing the stub shaft 53 in any angular position to which it may be adjusted by the knob 56. Alternatively, a locking mechanism similar to the screw 48 and slot 490 of FIGS. 3 and 5 may be employed.

We claim: 1. lnk supply mechanism for a printing press, comprising:

a. an ink supply roller;

b. ink fountain means including:

1. a pair of opposed end walls adapted to run in sealing relation with the ends of the roller;

2. a transverse wall connecting said end walls and spaced from the roller; and

3. a doctor blade fixed on the transverse wall and projecting therefrom toward the roller, said doctor blade extending the full length of the roller;

c. means for moving the ink fountain means between a retracted position separated from the ink supply roller and an operating position in which the end walls made sliding fit seals with the ends of the roller and the doctor blade yieldably engages the roller along the full length therof;

d. said ink fountain means and said roller cooperating to define an ink receptacle when the ink fountain means is in its operating position, the engagement between the roller and the doctor blade then being effective to control the ink flow from the receptacle onto the roller surface;

e. locking means for fixing the operating position of the ink fountain means and thereby establishing the rate of ink flow from the receptacle onto the roller; and

f. means for adjusting the locking means to vary the operating position of the ink fountain means and thereby to vary the rate of ink flow;

g. said moving means including:

1. a first shaft on which said ink fountain means is mounted for movement along an arcuate path between its operating and retracted positions;

2. crank means for moving the ink fountain means along its arcuate path; and

3. motor means for driving the crank means;

h. said locking means comprising:

1. a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and supported on the ink fountain means for angular movement about its own axis, said second shaft being movable orbitally about the axis of the first shaft as the ink fountain means moves;

2. said second shaft having recesses in its ends eccentric with respect to the axis of the second shaft;

3. support means for said first shaft; and

4. locking members mounted on said support means and movable endwise of said second shaft between locking positions in which they enter said recesses and retracted positions in which they are removed from said recesses; and

i. said adjusting means comprising means for angularly moving said second shaft.

2. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, in which the recesses and locking members are tapered.

3. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, in which:

a. said second shaft has portions of reduced diameter adjacent its ends, each said reduced diameter portion being tapered from a maximum diameter at its outer end to a minimum diameter at a shoulder on the shaft, each said reduced diameter portion being bendable to accommodate adjustments of the position of its eccentric recess in a radial direction with respect to the axis of the first shaft.

4. lnk supply mechanism as in claim 1, in which said means for angularly moving the second shaft comprises:

a. a gear fixed on said second shaft;

b. a pinion gear journaled in said ink fountain means and cooperating with said gear on the second shaft;

c. means for rotating the pinion gear; and

d. means for locking the pinion gear in any angular position 5. lnk supply mechanism as in claim 1, including motor means for driving the locking members between their locking positions and their retracted positions.

6. lnk supply mechanism as in claim 1, including plural spaced adjustment means on the fountain means for regulating the yieldable engagement between the doctor blade and the circumference of the ink supply roller, when the fountain means is in its operating posi- IlOn.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,921,525 Dated h 25 1&15

Inven fl SALVATORE F. D'AMATO and CHAUNCEY P. FOOTE It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

(301. 4, line 42, after "angular" insert position of the h ft 26 which determines the Col. 7, line 18, "made" should read make Signed and Scaled this Third Day of August 1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner ofParents and Trademarks 

1. Ink supply mechanism for a printing press, comprising: a. an ink supply roller; b. ink fountain means including:
 1. a pair of opposed end walls adapted to run in sealing relation with the ends of the roller;
 2. a transverse wall connecting said end walls and spaced from the roller; and
 3. a doctor blade fixed on the transverse wall and projecting therefrom toward the roller, said doctor blade extending the full length of the roller; c. means for moving the ink fountain means between a retracted position separated from the ink supply roller and an operating position in which the end walls made sliding fit seals with the ends of the roller and the doctor blade yieldably engages the roller along the full length therof; d. said ink fountain means and said roller cooperating to define an ink receptacle when the ink fountain means is in its operating position, the engagement between the roller and the doctor blade then being effective to control the ink flow from the receptacle onto the roller surface; e. locking means for fixing the operating position of the ink fountain means and thereby establishing the rate of ink flow from the receptacle onto the roller; and f. means for adjusting the locking means to vary the operating position of the ink fountain means and thereby to vary the rate of ink flow; g. said moving means including:
 1. a first shaft on which said ink fountain means is mounted for movement along an arcuate path between its operating and retracted positions;
 2. crank means for moving the ink fountain means along its arcuate path; and
 3. motor means for driving the crank means; h. said locking means comprising:
 1. a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and supported on the ink fountain means for angular movement about its own axis, said second shaft being movable orbitally about the axis of the first shaft as the ink fountain means moves;
 2. said second shaft having recesses in its ends eccentric with respect to the axis of the second shaft;
 3. support means for said first shaft; and
 4. locking members mounted on said support means and movable endwise of said second shaft between locking positions in which they enter said recesses and retracted positions in which they are removed from said recesses; and i. said adjusting means comprising means for angularly moving said second shaft.
 2. crank means for moving the ink fountain means along its arcuate path; and
 2. a transverse wall connecting said end walls and spaced from the roller; and
 2. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, in which the recesses and locking members are tapered.
 2. said second shaft having recesses in its ends eccentric with respect to the axis of the second shaft;
 3. motor means for driving the crank means; h. said locking means comprising:
 3. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, in which: a. said second shaft has portions of reduced diameter adjacent its ends, each said reduced diameter portion being tapered from a maximum diameter at its outer end to a minimum diameter at a shoulder on the shaft, each said reduced diameter portion being bendable to accommodate adjustments of the position of its eccentric recess in a radial direction with respect to the axis of the first shaft.
 3. support means for said first shaft; and
 3. a doctor blade fixed on the transverse wall and projecting therefrom toward the roller, said doctor blade extending the full length of the roller; c. means for moving the ink fountain means between a retracted position separated from the ink supply roller and an operating position in which the end walls made sliding fit seals with the ends of the roller and the doctor blade yieldably engages the roller along the full length therof; d. said ink fountain means and said roller cooperating to define an ink receptacle when the ink fountain means is in its operating position, the engagement between the roller and the doctor blade then being effective to control the ink flow from the receptacle onto the roller surface; e. locking means for fixing the operating position of the ink fountain means and thereby establishing the rate of ink flow from the receptacle onto the roller; and f. means for adjusting the locking means to vary the operating position of the ink fountain means and thereby to vary the rate of ink flow; g. said moving means including:
 4. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, in which said means for angularly moving the second shaft comprises: a. a gear fixed on said second shaft; b. a pinion gear journaled in said ink fountain means and cooperating with said gear on the second shaft; c. means for rotating the pinion gear; and d. means for locking the pinion gear in any angular position
 4. locking members mounted on said support means and movable endwise of said second shaft between locking positions in which they enter said recesses and retracted positions in which they are removed from said recesses; and i. said adjusting means comprising means for angularly moving said second shaft.
 5. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, including motor means for driving the locking members between their locking positions and their retracted positions.
 6. Ink supply mechanism as in claim 1, including plural spaced adjustment means on the fountain means for regulating the yieldable engagement between the doctor blade and the circumference of the ink supply roller, when the fountain means is in its operating position. 